Legacy Metal Contaminants and Excess Nutrients in Low Flow Estuarine Embayments Alter Composition and Function of Benthic Bacterial Communities
Coastal systems such as estuaries are threatened by multiple anthropogenic stressors worldwide. However, how these stressors and estuarine hydrology shape benthic bacterial communities and their functions remains poorly known. Here, we surveyed sediment bacterial communities in poorly flushed embaym...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.661177/full |
| _version_ | 1818733031355056128 |
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| author | Simone C. Birrer Simone C. Birrer Franziska Wemheuer Franziska Wemheuer Katherine A. Dafforn Katherine A. Dafforn Katherine A. Dafforn Paul E. Gribben Paul E. Gribben Peter D. Steinberg Peter D. Steinberg Stuart L. Simpson Jaimie Potts Peter Scanes Martina A. Doblin Martina A. Doblin Emma L. Johnston Emma L. Johnston |
| author_facet | Simone C. Birrer Simone C. Birrer Franziska Wemheuer Franziska Wemheuer Katherine A. Dafforn Katherine A. Dafforn Katherine A. Dafforn Paul E. Gribben Paul E. Gribben Peter D. Steinberg Peter D. Steinberg Stuart L. Simpson Jaimie Potts Peter Scanes Martina A. Doblin Martina A. Doblin Emma L. Johnston Emma L. Johnston |
| author_sort | Simone C. Birrer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Coastal systems such as estuaries are threatened by multiple anthropogenic stressors worldwide. However, how these stressors and estuarine hydrology shape benthic bacterial communities and their functions remains poorly known. Here, we surveyed sediment bacterial communities in poorly flushed embayments and well flushed channels in Sydney Harbour, Australia, using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Sediment samples were collected monthly during the Austral summer-autumn 2014 at increasing distance from a large storm drain in each channel and embayment. Bacterial communities differed significantly between sites that varied in proximity to storm drains, with a gradient of change apparent for sites within embayments. We explored this pattern for embayment sites with analysis of RNA-Seq gene expression patterns and found higher expression of multiple genes involved in bacterial stress response far from storm drains, suggesting that bacterial communities close to storm drains may be more tolerant of localised anthropogenic stressors. Several bacterial groups also differed close to and far from storm drains, suggesting their potential utility as bioindicators to monitor contaminants in estuarine sediments. Overall, our study provides useful insights into changes in the composition and functioning of benthic bacterial communities as a result of multiple anthropogenic stressors in differing hydrological conditions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T23:43:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-59968c647dbe4751a9960fe1f018d801 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-302X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T23:43:00Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-59968c647dbe4751a9960fe1f018d8012022-12-21T21:28:22ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2021-10-011210.3389/fmicb.2021.661177661177Legacy Metal Contaminants and Excess Nutrients in Low Flow Estuarine Embayments Alter Composition and Function of Benthic Bacterial CommunitiesSimone C. Birrer0Simone C. Birrer1Franziska Wemheuer2Franziska Wemheuer3Katherine A. Dafforn4Katherine A. Dafforn5Katherine A. Dafforn6Paul E. Gribben7Paul E. Gribben8Peter D. Steinberg9Peter D. Steinberg10Stuart L. Simpson11Jaimie Potts12Peter Scanes13Martina A. Doblin14Martina A. Doblin15Emma L. Johnston16Emma L. Johnston17Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, AustraliaSydney Institute of Marine Science, Mosman, NSW, AustraliaEvolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, AustraliaSydney Institute of Marine Science, Mosman, NSW, AustraliaEvolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, AustraliaSydney Institute of Marine Science, Mosman, NSW, AustraliaDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, AustraliaSydney Institute of Marine Science, Mosman, NSW, AustraliaCentre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, AustraliaSydney Institute of Marine Science, Mosman, NSW, AustraliaCentre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, AustraliaCSIRO Land and Water, Centre for Environmental Contaminants Research, Canberra, ACT, AustraliaCoastal Waters Unit, Science Division, NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaCoastal Waters Unit, Science Division, NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaSydney Institute of Marine Science, Mosman, NSW, AustraliaClimate Change Cluster, University of Technology, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaEvolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, AustraliaSydney Institute of Marine Science, Mosman, NSW, AustraliaCoastal systems such as estuaries are threatened by multiple anthropogenic stressors worldwide. However, how these stressors and estuarine hydrology shape benthic bacterial communities and their functions remains poorly known. Here, we surveyed sediment bacterial communities in poorly flushed embayments and well flushed channels in Sydney Harbour, Australia, using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Sediment samples were collected monthly during the Austral summer-autumn 2014 at increasing distance from a large storm drain in each channel and embayment. Bacterial communities differed significantly between sites that varied in proximity to storm drains, with a gradient of change apparent for sites within embayments. We explored this pattern for embayment sites with analysis of RNA-Seq gene expression patterns and found higher expression of multiple genes involved in bacterial stress response far from storm drains, suggesting that bacterial communities close to storm drains may be more tolerant of localised anthropogenic stressors. Several bacterial groups also differed close to and far from storm drains, suggesting their potential utility as bioindicators to monitor contaminants in estuarine sediments. Overall, our study provides useful insights into changes in the composition and functioning of benthic bacterial communities as a result of multiple anthropogenic stressors in differing hydrological conditions.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.661177/fullhydrologysedimentbacteria16S rRNARNAseqmultiple stressors |
| spellingShingle | Simone C. Birrer Simone C. Birrer Franziska Wemheuer Franziska Wemheuer Katherine A. Dafforn Katherine A. Dafforn Katherine A. Dafforn Paul E. Gribben Paul E. Gribben Peter D. Steinberg Peter D. Steinberg Stuart L. Simpson Jaimie Potts Peter Scanes Martina A. Doblin Martina A. Doblin Emma L. Johnston Emma L. Johnston Legacy Metal Contaminants and Excess Nutrients in Low Flow Estuarine Embayments Alter Composition and Function of Benthic Bacterial Communities Frontiers in Microbiology hydrology sediment bacteria 16S rRNA RNAseq multiple stressors |
| title | Legacy Metal Contaminants and Excess Nutrients in Low Flow Estuarine Embayments Alter Composition and Function of Benthic Bacterial Communities |
| title_full | Legacy Metal Contaminants and Excess Nutrients in Low Flow Estuarine Embayments Alter Composition and Function of Benthic Bacterial Communities |
| title_fullStr | Legacy Metal Contaminants and Excess Nutrients in Low Flow Estuarine Embayments Alter Composition and Function of Benthic Bacterial Communities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Legacy Metal Contaminants and Excess Nutrients in Low Flow Estuarine Embayments Alter Composition and Function of Benthic Bacterial Communities |
| title_short | Legacy Metal Contaminants and Excess Nutrients in Low Flow Estuarine Embayments Alter Composition and Function of Benthic Bacterial Communities |
| title_sort | legacy metal contaminants and excess nutrients in low flow estuarine embayments alter composition and function of benthic bacterial communities |
| topic | hydrology sediment bacteria 16S rRNA RNAseq multiple stressors |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.661177/full |
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